Judith Miller: NYPD Is Tops in Nation’s Counterterrorism Efforts

The New York City Police Department gets it right when it comes to effective counter-terrorism — and other cities should take note, according to award-winning journalist Judith Miller.

“It’s not just willy-nilly surveillance. It’s [looking at] places that have been known in the past to be breeding grounds for terrorists. That’s what the NYPD focuses on,’’ Miller told Newsmax TV’s “The Steve Malzberg Show.’’

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“It’s not a question of money. Even a small police department can afford and must afford to pay attention to terrorism and to people who may be undergoing radicalization. It’s a question of focus and priority.’’

But Miller, an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute and Newsmax contributor, added that the NYPD’s successful techniques have often resulted in unfair criticism.

“I don’t understand people who say, 'Oh, you know, we’re maligning Muslims.' No we are not. In fact, the NYPD is seeking the cooperation and the support of the Muslim community and, in many quarters, has won it,’’ she said.

“It’s a basic tool of law enforcement. If you’re going after the Mafia, you’re going to go to Italian social clubs. If you’re going after an Irish gang, you’re going to go into Irish community organizations.

“If Baptists were blowing us up, we would be . . . getting the lay of the land of Baptist Churches . . . There is a difference between maligning a community and getting to know a community and figuring out how to work together.’’

Miller’s remarks came as authorities revealed that Boston Marathon bombers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev had been planning to journey to Manhattan and blow up Times Square.